I don't know about you, but I'm barely hanging on this week. I just have to get through today and Friday. The beginning and ending of the school year completely stresses me out. Large projects loom and I'm terrified I'll a) never get things done on time, b) I'll screw up majorly causing a ripple effect of "oh noes" and c) everything will go horribly wrong. *Takes deep breath* I guess I share the same anxiety and fear as Amelia Gray, the heroine of the wonderful, Gothic, paranormal mystery series called the Graveyard Queen, but I think she has it a lot worse than I do.

Description:My name is Amelia Gray. I am the
Graveyard Queen, a cemetery restorer who sees ghosts. My father passed
down four rules to keep me safe and I've broken every last one. A door
has opened and evil wants me back. In order to protect myself, I've
vowed to return to those rules. But the ghost of a murdered cop needs my
help to find his killer. The clues lead me to the dark side of
Charleston--where witchcraft, root doctors and black magic still
flourish--and back to John Devlin, a haunted police detective I should
only love from afar. Now I'm faced with a terrible choice: follow the
rules or follow my heart.

Review: The Prophet is by far my favorite out of the The Graveyard series thus far. Amanda
Stevens amps up the romantic tension, mystery, and suspense. Despite my busy schedule, I had a hard time to put this book down. If you pick up this series, I suggest you begin at the beginning with The Restorer followed by The Kingdom (the first and second book respectively) in order to get a better grasp on the character development and relationships in the book. When we last visited Amelia, she was on her
way back to Charleston after receiving a cry from help in the form of a text from her tortured love interest, John Devlin.
Amelia has turned into a new person in The Prophet. She is no longer afraid of nor ignores her abilities like we first met her in The Restorer. After gaining her knowledge about who she is in The Kingdom, she is now working on using her talents in her favor, drawing power and confidence while harnessing and not be afraid of it. Unfortunately, her re-entry into her life isn't as easy as her new outlook on life. She is back at working the old cemetery filled with hidden secrets. She is surrounded and haunted by the same ghosts and not to mention in love with a man who should be avoided at all costs. My heart ached and raced right along with Amelia's when Devlin
reappeared. They've been apart for months without any clear explanations of what happened the last night they were together. Gone is the comfort and familiarity of working together as they avoid the big elephant in the room. There are even
questions now about whether new relationships have been formed. The ghosts that haunt Devlin become stronger and more aggressive as they hold onto him with
both hands, causing drastic physical effects on Amelia as she spends time with him. The distance and concealed secrets between Devlin and
Amelia kept me tense and wondering if their happiness is even possible. I wanted them to be together and waited with baited breath as they got closer. Their romantic tension crackled and sizzled on the pages. Not only did the turbulent romance enthrall me, I was also highly invested in the murder mystery in this book. The ghost of former cop Robert Fremont is haunting
Amelia, pushing her to solve his murder. What turns out to be a simple 'whodunit' mystery is a tangled web that wraps quite nicely to Devlin's past. Unlike the previous two books that identify the ghosts and describe their attachments to Devlin, they become full finalized in The Prophet. Each new detail uncover a new layer to their true personality, forcing us to reshape our impressions of them multiple times. The mixture of treachery, blackmail, betrayal,
obsession, and the occult makes it super creepy. It was hard for me to pinpoint who is responsible for Fremont's murder since there were many people who had the motive and means to do so. The final reveal behind his murder as well as the truths behind Devlin's past is truly shocking. I was really sad for Devlin when I first met him, but now I feel like his burden which carried around so heavily in the first two books now rest on my shoulders. There are some huge twists in the book that I took me completely unaware. And the ending? Wow. Not a cliffhanger but more of what happens now? I feel like the first story arc is now complete and I'm really excited to see where Ms. Stevens takes her characters next. I can't wait for book four to come out. So far the only information that I know is that there will be an online novella to help curve our craving for book four, which is tentatively called The Keeper. Ms. Stevens also plans on writing two more books for a total of six books in the Graveyard Queen series. Yay!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language, violence, and disturbing scenes. There is also a brief sex scene that is not too graphic. Recommended for mature teens and adults.

If you like this book try: Deadly Night by Heather Graham, Bodyfinder series by Kimberly Dertling, Grave Sight series by Charlaine Harris,Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

Okay, I skimmed your review because I haven't read any of this series yet, but I love how you described the romance as "turbulent" - those types of relationship always pull me in:) Love that the series seems to be staying strong as it progresses!

First, Hang in there my friend, Friday is almost here, you will get everthing done and it will be great! I am so frustrated that I haven't gotten to this one, yet. I love this series. So creepy and different. I totally fell in love with Angus. Now your review is reminding me that I need to dig this out now!

I remember your reviews of the first two books. They may have been the first comments I ever made, but I really want to read these. Now, more than ever! This one has me dying to read them.

You can make it through these last few days! I know you can do it. And you won't mess anything up. Just stay calm and proceed in an orderly fashion to the nearest exit. Head for your car and get the HE** out of Dodge! Then go read a book. It will calm your nerves.

Huh, I've never heard of this series but I like that the murder mysteries are hard to solve and that you can feel the chemistry between Amelia and Devlin. I may have to check this series out. Thanks, Rummanah!

I just can't wait to get my copy of this book! I wish The Book Depository people and my poor mailman would just hurry up. Devlin is so tortured and gorgeous, and that Southern drawl of his is mouth-watering. I totally get what you're saying about being invested in the mystery, I liked Robert Fremont in book 1 and I totally want the truth about him to come out.Gorgeous review! I'm reading this with a friend as soon as I can and I'm totally excited about it.

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